


duty and darkness

by AslansCompass



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Kanan Jarrus teaches Ben Solo, Kanan Lives AU, Lothal, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Young Ben Solo, mentions of Ezra Bridger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26030923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: Kanan Jarrus takes his padawan Ben Solo to the Lothal temple.
Kudos: 3





	duty and darkness

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story as a final for an online graduate class on Star Wars, complete with analysis. I can post some of the analysis in the comments if anyone is interested.

"I thought we were going to Coruscant," Ben peered out of the window as the ship descended through the upper atmosphere. "This is just the middle of nowhere."

"It's where we need to be." Kanan eased back on the engine. The ship glided to a smooth stop in the grasslands.

"You said we were going to the temple, and that's on Coruscant. Or at least, what's left of it. I've seen it."

"There are other temples." He exited the ship and motioned for Ben to follow. It had been years since his last visit, but the Force was strong here. He strode forward with quick, easy steps. Soon, they were standing before the twisted hoodoos.

“I don’t see anything.”

“It takes two. A master and an apprentice. Reach out.” 

Ben followed Kanan’s lead. Slowly, the column turned, rotating to reveal an arched doorway. A great slab slid upward, revealing a stony passageway. 

* * *

The passageway led to a round chamber with a vaulted ceiling that disappeared into the distance overhead. “How did you know this place was here?” Ben asked.

“I’ve been here before. A long, long time ago. Before Endor.” 

Ben pondered this for a moment. “With your master?”

“No.”

“But you said it takes two--” Ben stopped in his tracks. “You had another padawan?”

“I did.”

“What happened to him?” 

“He’s gone.” Kanan’s mask hid any expression, but he still looked away. “Now, about the temple. Just because I’ve been here before doesn’t mean I know what will happen. There will be a door, but what you find behind it could be anything.” 

Ben looked around the room. The only door he saw was the one behind them, and it was already halfway shut. “I don’t see anything.”

“It may not be there at first. You’ll just have to--” Kanan broke off in the middle of his sentence. “A door? But why--”

Ben didn’t see a door. But one minute Kanan was there, walking towards the wall. Then there was a flash of light and he was gone. “What am I supposed to do now?” 

* * *

If Kanan’s years of experience had taught him anything, it was that the Force always had more surprises in store. So Kanan wasn’t as startled as he might have been when he found himself back aboard the  _ Ghost _ . He reached out through the Force, searching for other life signs. No Hera. No Zeb. No Sabine. Wait. Someone was here. “Ezra?”

“Yeah, I’m right here. You alright? You look a little confused.”

Kanan reached for his mask, only to touch clear, unscarred skin. He opened his eyes, meeting Ezra’s gaze. Dark hair flopped over his forehead, but there was no scar on his cheek. “It’s not really you.”

“What’s not me?” 

_ That’s not fair.  _ He’d hoped, just for a moment, that it  _ was _ Ezra. The Force could connect people across space, even across time. But this was just another illusion. “This is supposed to be Ben’s test, not mine. If you need to tell me something, just say so.”

* * *

Ben picked up a pebble and idly threw it against the wall. Sure, he could meditate. But what was the point? What were they doing here, anyway? “Part of your training,” Kanan had said. 

How was he supposed to learn anything this way? Practising lightsaber forms or levitation was hard, but it made sense. Even studying navigation or diplomacy had an end goal in sight. But sitting on the floor, thinking about nothing, so someday he could….keep thinking about nothing?

_ Thoughts are static. True power comes through action.  _

“So what  _ action _ should I be taking?” Ben snapped. 

_ I merely wished to state that I understand your predicament.  _

Right. As if that changed anything. Ben reached out with the Force again, probing at the empty wall where Kanan had disappeared. 

Nothing. 

“....fear….”

“I’m not afraid. Not anymore.” The second voice was Kanan. The first….

Ben reached out with the Force, trying to extend his hearing. 

“...learned much….”

“....someday. I have to hope that someday, we’ll meet again.” 

Definitely Kanan. 

* * *

“I have to hope that someday, we’ll meet again.” Kanan said. 

“And if he’s changed? If he’s become someone else?” The Force had taken a different shape, much to Kanan’s relief. It now wore the anonymous, familiar shape of a temple guard. The illusion had made the loss fresh, brought back the pain as if it were days, not decades, since the purgill had vanished into hyperspace. 

“So have I. Things change over time.”

“Time moves on, like rivers to the sea. And yet, the waves never leave the shore.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your apprentice.”

“What about him?”

“The Dark Side calls to him, does it not?” 

Kanan frowned. “It calls to everyone, Jedi or not.”

“More than calls. It seduces him, whispers in his ears. It has for a long time.”

* * *

They were talking about him. Ben wasn’t stupid. He’d figured out a long time ago that the voice was Dark. But that didn’t mean it was wrong. It had taught him things, things nobody else knew. It gave him power. And if people were scared of it, well, people were scared of differences. Even small ones, like humans and togruta. Even stupid ones, like humans from Naboo and Coruscant. 

But Kanan didn’t sound scared. He sounded… 

_ So he’s not scared. He doesn’t understand, then.  _

Ben leaned against the wall, hoping to hear more. Instead, the wall dissolved. He lost his balance and tumbled into another room.

“Ben? Is that really you?”

Ben gasped. The mask was gone. Kanan could see him. “Your eyes…”

“Yes, they work.” Kanan said dryly. “Something to do with the Force, I believe. ” He stared at Ben.

Ben looked away. He didn’t see anyone else. “Who were you talking to?”

“The Force.”

“I heard someone talking to you.”

“You’ve never heard it answer?” Kanan teased, but Ben waited half a second too long to answer. “You  _ have.  _ Who’s been talking to you?”

“I….I…” Ben stammered. He’d never told anyone about the voice. When he was really little, he’d thought it was normal. At least for Force-users. 

“I thought the Sith were gone. I should have known better,” Kanan muttered. “I really, really should have known better.”

“He’s not a Sith!” Ben blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Kanan raised an eyebrow. For a blind man, it was a surprisingly effective gesture. 

“He’s not. He says the Jedi and the Sith were both wrong. They let themselves be controlled by idiots who couldn’t see the bigger picture. The only way for lasting peace in the universe is for the right people to lead.”

“Meaning him, I suppose.” 

“Why would that be such a bad thing? Imagine the whole galaxy, the whole world, following one leader. No more fighting. No more arguments.”

“It’s been tried before. The Republic. The Empire.” Kanan rubbed his forehead. “You know how those turned out.”

“The Jedi were foolish. The Sith were weak.”

“Weak.” Kanan huffed. “Weak enough to destroy planets? Weak enough to destroy a government that had lasted ten thousand years? Does that sound weak to you?”

“They failed.”

“Thank goodness. Look, I was born in the Republic. I survived the Empire. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“They were fools. Too proud to see the threat growing under their noses.”

“And you think your new master will do better?”

“At least he respects me!” Ben relished the shock in Kanan’s face. “He’s taught me so many things. Powerful things. None of these stupid errands to piles of rock in the middle of nowhere!”

“Power, huh? And just what are you going to do with this power?”

Ben reached into his belt and pulled out his lightsaber. “Whatever I want.”

“For example?” Kanan replied evenly. He didn’t even bother grabbing his own weapon.

Ben waved the lightsaber carefully. High, low. Left, right. 

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

_ He doesn’t think you’ll hurt him. He thinks you’re too much of a coward to follow through. _

“I’m just saying, if your new master is so powerful, why isn’t he here?”

Ben didn’t understand at first.

“If he’s so powerful, why isn’t he here himself? I mean, if he really wants me dead, he should have the guts to do the job himself. Or maybe he isn’t as confident as he claims. I mean, it’s not like he’s the first person to try to kill me.” Kanan almost laughed. “Even Vader didn’t manage it, after all.”

“You fought  _ Vader _ ?” Ben gaped. “Was that when you lost your eyes?”

“No, that was Maul,” Kanan waved the question aside. “But I’ve had my share of unfair fights. I do like to know who I’m fighting, though. So, how about it? Going to introduce yourself, mysterious voice?”

_ I believe I shall. _

“What? You can--but why--” 

_ Some challenges cannot go unanswered.  _

The following moments were some of the strangest in Ben’s life. The voice switched off, abruptly as a malfunctioning comlink. The world seemed strangely quiet, echoing through the empty space where it had always been. Meanwhile, the air next to him wrinkled and twisted like a desert mirage. Ben tried to look deeper with the Force, but the attempt only made him dizzy.

When his head cleared, he looked up and saw his master for the first time.

“You may call me Snoke,” the creature said . 

The pale-skinned humanoid towered over both of them. His high-collared gold robe dipped low in the front to reveal twisted flesh, marked with old scars and twisted like rope. The flesh over his cheekbones was drawn tight as a skull.

Despite himself, Ben shuddered.

“The price of power, young one.” Snoke turned to Kanan. “And another Jedi. My, my. I was under the impression that Skywalker was the last of his kind. That his students were a feeble dam before the flood.”

“The Coruscant Jedi may be gone. But the Light has not died with them. I serve the Force. I serve the New Republic. I serve my family.”

“Serve them?” Snoke laughed disdainfully. “You _are_ a Jedi; weak, like all the rest. And you will die like them.” Snoke drew his lightsaber. The red beam gleamed in the dim room. 

“Ben, run!” Kanan stepped in front of Snoke. “I’ll hold him off.”

“But the door--”

“I’ll open it from here. Run!” 

* * *

Ben took off down the tunnel, nearly dropping his lightsaber as he ran. He reached out with the Force as he ran, trying to picture the great stone archway. When he got there, he skidded to a halt. “Come on, come on,” he muttered. “Lift! Lift!” 

The stone shuddered. Ben reached out again, trying to concentrate. He could hear the hum of lightsabers behind him, and the distinct  _ vrum _ of the blades meeting. 

The door opened.

He ran through, nearly tumbling off the rocky ledge. “I made it….” he huffed. “I made it.”

The door ground shut behind him. 

He turned and began walking back to the ship. He wasn’t the best pilot, but the return coordinates should still be in the navi-computer. Or he could always call Leia and have her arrange a pick-up. He could tell her….

Ben stopped. What would he tell her? That the voice he’d been hearing was actually a Dark Side user named Snoke? That they’d met at a Jedi temple he hadn’t known existed? That Snoke and Kanan had fought?

That Snoke had  _ killed  _ Kanan?

The Jedi had been foolish, used as weapons to destroy hundreds of peaceful worlds.

That’s what Snoke had told him.

But Kanan wasn’t hurting anyone. He’d helped people before the war, bringing supplies to refugees on Outer Rim planets. He’d even assisted Ben’s mother on one of those errands, back when she was just Princess Leia of Alderaan. 

Ben reached out with the Force again, tentatively. “Kanan?”

_ I told you to go!  _

But you--

_ You’ll be an amazing Jedi. You’re already stronger than I ever was.  _

**Stronger than I ever was.** The words echoed in Ben’s mind like thunder. All those years, ever since he could remember, he’d heard about Master Luke: how strong he was in the Force, how quickly he’d learned from Master Yoda. 

How he was the last of the Jedi.

If Luke, with all his knowledge and power, could not save the Order, how could he? No, he’d have to be stronger, smarter, better.

_ Remember, the Force is with you. Al--  _ Kanan’s message ended abruptly. 

“Kanan? Kanan!” Ben called. 

The Force would be with him. The Force would be with him. If he listened to the Force…

Ben Solo closed his eyes. He fell into meditation like a stone slipping into a well.

> There is no death, there is only the Force.
> 
> There is no emotion, there is peace.
> 
> There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
> 
> There is no passion, there is serenity.
> 
> There is no chaos, there is harmony.
> 
> There is no death, there is the Force.

Ben opened his eyes. He knew what he had to do.

He turned around and focused on the temple door.  **_Open._ **

**Author's Note:**

> The ending was the hardest part to write. I didn’t want Snoke or Kanan to win the fight; that would have taken the choice out of Ben’s hands entirely. And I didn’t want Ben to kill either of them either; Ben is only a teenager in this story. He wouldn’t have had the skill or determination to kill yet. Instead, he had to choose his own path.The point of the whole story is Ben’s choice. In canon, Ben felt that he didn’t have a choice--that his uncle’s distrust and fear had forced him to the Dark Side. But in a different situation, one where Ben didn’t feel betrayed or fear for his life, he might have chosen differently.


End file.
